South Wales RL
Different perspectives on Cru's Goggled switch
Will you? Won't you?
By Aaron & Chris,
December 23 2009
The move to Wrexham has split supporters. Many will continue to follow the Saders but will no longer attend games, some will travel regularly to the Racecourse whilst others have been left completely disillusioned and will not support a team based 125-miles away from its traditional home. Site editor Chris and columnist Aaron take a detailed look at the club’s controversial relocation.
| Ron: "Why Wrexham MIGHT, just maybe, be a positive move" | Chris: "Advantages irrelevant - it's not the same club anymore!" |
| Firstly, I’m from Bridgend. I started watching the Crusaders because I love rugby league and it was five minutes away from my house (I can see the apparently sub-standard floodlights from my bedroom window). I didn’t, for one minute, think that we would reach Super League; obviously I was ecstatic when we did. To say I’ve grown to love this club is an understatement. I’ve also had my heartbroken by this club more than any woman; the playoffs in the first year, losing 4-0 to my ‘bit on the side’ Saint Helens, and now moving to Wrexham. Another thing to note is that I am not a Mike Turner or Leighton Samuel; I despise at least one of them. However, I’m trying to look at this move from a positive angle. The club have teetering on the edge financially since we hit the big time. Where the money has gone I don’t know, but Leighton Samuel insists that he has put nigh on £1.5million into the club to keep us afloat and his pot of gold is empty. If Turner is to be believed, the club would have gone under without this move. Samuel has said as much, as is quoted as saying that rugby league in South Wales would need huge amounts of cash. So, Wrexham Village Ltd. (read Wrexham Football Club) have saved the Crusaders, and kept them existence; sounds positive to me. The club is now in the hands of a fairly stable business, with decent people on board; people we can trust more than Leighton Samuel, that’s for sure. They also have the added advantage of a stadium that easily passes the required RFL standards, and one that will definitely add a point on to our licence application. On the pitch, Brian Noble has admitted that we now face a race against time to secure players of the calibre required to compete at Super League level. However, in future, it will be much easier to attract players from the Northern clubs, as they would have far less trouble relocating to Wrexham than they would to Cardiff or Bridgend. There may well be some players who turned the Crusaders down this summer who are very much regretting the fact that they are not currently in pre-season training with John Sharp and Iestyn Harris. There are obvious worries. Are we just a cash cow for the football club? Will there be a lack of support? Well, my view is, there was obviously nobody with money, passionate enough about league to keep it in South Wales. Even if we are a cash cow for Wrexham FC, we will have one thing on our side: Moss, Retout etc. will want the club to make a profit. They will want the club to be profitable; and to do this, the club must be successful, both on and off the pitch. The support and attendances do worry me, but it will essentially all come down to marketing. Our new home is based next to a University, and student tickets have been knocked down to just £10 (when you buy in advance). Possibly the best piece of marketing I’ve seen from the club in recent times. While there is the issue of football dominating the area; we play only 4 games at Wrexham before the football season ends. It is after the football season, that we will get a true perspective of how many we will get through the gates. Wrexham FC are looking at it positively anyway. The first game, against Leeds in January, has been made all ticket! I’ll see you at the Racecourse! | Undoubtedly, there are benefits for the Crusaders in a move to Wrexham. It seems likely that the club would have gone bust had Wrexham supremo Geoff Moss not stepped forward. Certainly, the future from an economic perspective looked grim. Financial backing appeared anonymous South Wales. Thus, a case can be made to suggest that the move to Wrexham has saved the club from closure and kept Super League in the Principality. However, the same argument could be used to support Wimbledon's controversial relocation to Milton Keynes. It doesn't make it right. Will it be a success? Maybe. Huge away support from the big Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs means gates should dwarf some of the Brewery Field's poorer attendances, whilst player recruitment will be easier with signings not having to relocate south. Again, however, it doesn't make it right. The Crusaders had made a base in South Wales and their rapid rise to Europe's elite division has helped foster rugby league's growth across the region. More and more schools have embraced the game, and an increasing number of youngsters play the XIII-a-side code. Participation levels are reportedly up 300%. At senior level, nine South Walian based clubs ply their trade at Conference level. The Rhyl Coasters, of the North West Premier, are the only club at that level in the North. The Crusaders now plays 160 miles away from Bridgend. A 320-mile round trip every fortnight is an unthinkable prospect for many of the fans who helped the club get off the ground in the National League. Technically, the club that formed in 2005 and staged a remarkable rise to Super League lives on. However, if you move a school to the other side of the country, give it new colours, a new badge and thousands of new pupils - is it still the same school? It's easy to see why so many fans believe it'll be a whole new club getting underway on January 30th. Many ex-Cru fans want to see the Wrexham-based Saders crash and burn. I don't subscribe to that theory. I wish them well However, I won't watch a team that has upped sticks and moved so, so far away from its base.
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23/12/2009 02:02
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I for one will NOT be watching the Saders.
South Wales Scorpions are now where the Celtic Crusaders were 5 years ago!
Certaintly, lots of work to do yet and it's difficult to judge how strong we'll be until players are appointed.
However, a lot of last season's Cru reserves/youngsters from last season may well be on board. You'd hope they could do a job in the Championship 1 division.
There's also a strong crop of players in the Welsh Conference who will hopefully jump at the chance of getting involved.
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